Annie
Annie (アニー Anī) is a waitress at the Alveare restaurant and a vessel of Hilton. Appearance Annie is a young lady around eighteen years of age."She was probably eighteen or so..." —''1934 Peter Pan in Chains: Finale, Epilogue. Her black hair is chest-length in the front and waist-length in the back, and she wears a half-apron over a dress for her job. Personality When it comes to her waitress work, Annie is diligent, detail-oriented and never one to come in late or miss a day's work. While not on the job, she presents herself as an enthusiastic, cheerful young lady. It is implied that this is a reflection of Annie's original personality, but to what extent is unclear given that the original Annie's consciousness was assimilated prior to the start of the series. There is a noticeable difference when Hilton is speaking as 'Annie' and as Leeza Laforet, with Annie acting more polite and restrained than the younger Leeza. Post-1934, Annie's attitude toward others is increasingly influenced by Hilton's personal feelings. Hilton's crush on Firo Prochainezo leads Annie to speak to and treat Ennis as a romantic rival for Firo's affections, and thus Czeslaw Meyer to assume that Annie herself has a crush on Firo. Chronology Hilton takes over Annie's body several years prior to 1935 for the purpose of infiltrating the Martillo Family. However, Annie does not join the Alveare's staff until sometime in the latter half of '''1934', as she is noted to have been working there for less than half a year in January 1935. Learning the waitressing ropes from senior waitress Lia Lin-Shan, Annie's hardworking efforts make her a standout employee. After the showdown in the Alcatraz courtyard in December 1934, Hilton uses her vessels to deliver the left eye of Martillo executive Firo Prochainezo to the Annie vessel in New York City. Annie keeps the eye sealed inside a glass jar and waits for Firo's return. 1935 In January, Annie carries Firo's left eyeball in a paper bag to New York City's Central Station. He is surprised to see her but manages a stiff smile, and she offers him a wide grin of her own before taking his hand and announcing she has something to give him. While he is busy puzzling over her lack of a reaction toward his eyepatch, she takes the glass jar out of the bag and opens it. The eyeball whizzes out of the jar and zips under Firo's eyepatch, resettling itself into his eye socket with no fuss. He takes off the eyepatch and whirls toward Annie, but Hilton anticipates his objection and assures him that she did not take over Annie for the simple act of returning his eye – she has had the vessel for years. When Firo asks Hilton-Leeza-Annie why she returned his eye to him, Annie turns away and admits it is because he saved her-as-Leeza back in Alcatraz. Turning back around, she declares that she no longer hates him and will instead be focusing her attention on purging a 'traitor'. Hilton vaguely assures him that he will find out who the traitor is later, and then suggests 'as Annie' that they hurry back. Once the two of them reach the Alveare, Annie rushes on inside to announce Firo's return. Ennis, followed by Maiza, Czeslaw Meyer, and Isaac & Miria, all head outside to welcome him home. Over the next month, Annie's furtive glances Firo's way and her sudden comfortableness with talking to him out of the blue do not go unnoticed, and her strange behavior leads several of the Martillos to conclude she has a crush on him. Sometime in February, Annie is working in the Alveare restaurant when she observes Rail speaking with Ennis, the latter of whom becomes visibly ill at-ease when Christopher Shaldred and Ricardo Russo join them. When Rail, Christopher, Ricardo, Jacuzzi Splot and company later exit the Alveare and Ennis follows, Annie tails Ennis tailing them for a few blocks before Czes calls both of them out on their behavior. With Annie's cover blown, she steps out of the shadow of a nearby truck and shamelessly giggles over having been found out. She claims she followed Ennis earlier because Ennis looked upset, and did not expect to find Ennis following someone too. As Jacuzzi and the rest disappear around the corner, Annie points out that Firo's casino is up ahead and asks Ennis what Firo is to her. Ennis' plain answer of 'family' mollifies her, and the two women and Czes head for Firo's casino together. Ennis hesitates once they reach the entrance, not only leery of interfering with Firo's work but averse to putting Czes and Annie in danger, and suggests that the two leave. Undeterred, Annie counters that Ennis will be in as much danger as they are if danger should be present. Furthermore, since the two of them are "frail, helpless girl," the 'conditions' should be the same. Ennis asks what Annie means, startling the latter into a silence which is broken when a man dashes between them and into the casino. Annie's frustration over Ennis' obliviousness leads her to accuse both Ennis and Firo of 'not caring', but Ennis assures her that Firo is a serious and considerate person. Czes, perturbed, tells the two of them that he is almost certain the man just now was carrying a gun. Her trepidation forgotten, Ennis hurries after the man into the casino. Both Annie and Czes a short smatter of gunfire as they wait outside the casino, which is soon followed by customers pouring out of the casino and scattering every which way down the street. A group of several men and one woman come to a stop outside the casino despite the pandemonium, and their leader – one Ladd Russo – asks Czes if the 'firecracker' sounds he heard earlier came from this building. Where Czes stiffens upon seeing Ladd, Annie glares; however, Ladd neither remembers Czes from Flying Pussyfoot nor knows that Annie is 'one and the same' with the Leeza he tried to kill in Alcatraz. He acknowledges Annie's hostility but does not dwell on it, and advises her to join him in the casino if he wants to kill her before disappearing with his friends down the stairs. The casino is noisy for some time after that, and Hilton-as-Annie spends the duration waffling over whether or not she could go in. Her mutterings over the consequences of losing this particular vessel and needing a stronger one only partially reach Czes' ears, but Czes simply assumes her fear has thrown her into confusion. Annie finally makes up her mind to go in after Ennis once the casino enters a quiet period, but Czes forcefully objects and convinces her to stay outside. A moment later, he is shocked by the arrival of an older Mary Beriam, a girl with whom he had played on board the Flying Pussyfoot three years back. Accompanying Mary is Carzelio Runorata, who swiftly enters the casino along with Gabriel and Juliano, and other Runoratas. She and Czes continue to wait outside until Nader Schasschule – the very same traitor that Annie had referred to a month prior – hurries outside of the casino and onto the street. Annie distances herself from Czes and Mary and approaches him; in a languid, hateful tone, she asks him what he is doing her and whether or not he had anything to do with the Chicago incident. Then, she hisses, "We...Hilton...will never forgive traitors. Not ever" – and Nader shrieks and bolts from the scene. A few moments later, Maiza approaches Annie, Czes, and Mary and asks if the former two are all right. Once Annie confirms that she heard a loud noise, Maiza instructs her and the others to leave the area and find shelter as soon as possible. Annie fails to arrive at the Alveare for work the next day, which Seina and the others find unusual considering that she has never once been late or missing a day's work before. Firo later pays a personal visit to Annie's apartment, where she greets him with Leeza's more childish personality rather than as Annie, and asks her if her father kidnapped Ennis. Her emphatic denial and genuine anger at his suspicion convinces him that her father did not, and he apologizes for suspecting him. He then asks if she knows anything about Melvi; she indicates that she does, but does not elaborate. At her remark that she thought Firo would attack her upon learning of Ennis' kidnapping, Firo admits that he was planning on being a lot more intimidating before realizing he would be better off keeping his emotions out of the picture. His demeanor forces Annie to conclude that Ennis really is special to him after all, and though she is jealous of Ennis, she cannot bring herself to hate her. Firo again implores her to tell him about Melvi, promising that he simply wants to help Ennis and that he will not tell anyone of Annie's aid. Eventually Annie relents, and fills Firo in on Melvi's connection to House Dormentaire, the Runoratas, and Time. Then, she passes on a message from her father: he would like to meet with Firo in short order. Trivia * Annie lives on the fourth floor of a stone apartment building about a fifteen-minute walk from the Alveare. References Category:Characters Category:Female Characters Category:Martillo Family Category:Vessels Category:Mortals Category:1930s Characters